even its skin was supposed by these people to be
noxious.
Down came the ra in ; I believe it could not have
rained harder. Mrs. BaJ^er in the palanquin was fortunately
like a snail in her shell; but I had nothing for
protection except an ox-hide : throwing myself upon
my angarep I drew it over me. The natives had
already lighted prodigious fires, and all crowded around
the blaze; but what would have been the Great Fire
of London in that storm ? In half an hour the fire was
o u t; such a deluge fell that the ravine that was dry
when we first bivouacked, was now an impassable
torrent. My ox-hide had become tripe, and. my angarep
being covered with a mat, was some inches deep
in water. Throwing away the mat, the pond escaped
through the sieve-like network, but left me drenched.
Throughout the night it poured. We had been wet
through every day during the journey from Latooka,
but the nights had been fine; this was superlative
misery for all. At length it ceased—morning dawned;
we could not procure fire, as everything was saturated,
and we started on our march through forest and high
reeking grass. By this circuitous route from Latooka
we avoided all difficult passes, as- the ground on the
west side of the chain of mountains ascended rapidly
but regularly to Obbo,
On arrival at my former hut I found a great change ;
the grass was at least ten feet high, and my little camp
was concealed in the rank vegetation. Old Katchiba
came to meet us, but brought nothing, as he said the
Turks had eaten up the country. An extract from
my journal, dated July 1, explains the misery of our
position.
“ This Obbo country is now a land of starvation.
The natives refuse to supply provision for beads ; nor
will they barter anything unless in exchange for flesh.
This is the curse that the Turks have brought upon
the country by stealing cattle and throwing them
away wholesale. We have literally nothing to eat
except tullaboon, a small bitter grain used in lieu of
com by the natives : there is no game ; if it existed,
shooting would be-impossible, as the grass is impenetrable.
I hear that the Turks intend to make a razzia on
the Shoggo country near Farajoke ; thus they will stir
up a wasp’s nest for me wherever I go, and render it
impossible for my small party to proceed alone, or
even to remain in peace. I shall be truly thankful to
quit this abominable land; in mÿ expérience I never
saw such scoundrels as Africa produces—the natives of
the Soudan being worse than all. I t is impossible to
make a servant of any of these people; the apathy,
indolence, dishonesty combined with dirtiness, are